ROCHESTER, N.Y. – At the end of this year's legislative session, Senator Ted O’Brien worked to restore $90 million in funding to the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). Today, Senator O'Brien joined local experts and advocates to discuss the importance of supporting quality services for New Yorkers with developmental disabilities and their families.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Last week, Senator Ted O'Brien’s bill making it a felony for a convicted sex offender to provide a false address or other identifying information to law enforcement for the sex offender registry was passed. The bill received unanimous support in the New York State Senate.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Four constituents of Senator Ted O'Brien have been appointed to vital new state advisory boards, where they will help to guide state agencies overseeing the care of special needs groups.

"Our region is a leader in providing quality care for individuals with special needs and in having specialized knowledge about a variety of medical areas," Senator O'Brien said. "It is an honor for these individuals, and our region, to have them bring their expertise to New York State government. I congratulate the four appointees and I know that they will serve this state well."

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Today, Senator Ted O’Brien’s bill requiring that individuals convicted of DWI pay for their medical transportation before their driver license could be reissued passed the New York State Senate.

“Individuals who break the law and drive while intoxicated put every other motorist in danger. When our emergency services personnel put themselves on the line to aid these impaired drivers, at a minimum they deserve a guarantee that they will be compensated,” Senator O’Brien said. “Insisting that these drivers pay the medical transportation expenses incurred as a result of their reckless actions is another way to deter this behavior and protect law-abiding drivers.”

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Today, Senator Ted O’Brien expressed his strong support for Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s new disclosure requirements for shadowy nonprofit organizations that abuse their status to engage in anonymous political campaigning, which took effect yesterday.

Since 2010, these political groups, operating under the cover of 501(c)(4) organization status, have pumped millions of dollars into races at all levels without having to disclose the origin of their funds. In the 2012 campaign, Virginia-based “Common Sense Principles,” a mysterious ‘nonprofit’ group, spent large sums of money in several New York State Senate races, including Senator O’Brien’s.

ALBANY, N.Y. – Senator Ted O’Brien today announced that the State Senate passed an amendment to the real property tax law that would allow local governments to grant a 5 percent tax reduction to long-term veterans of the National Guard or any of the reserve branches of the United States Military. Senator O'Brien voted yes on the measure.

ALBANY, N.Y. – Today, Senator Ted O’Brien honored three Rochester School of the Arts students that are both first-generation Americans and members of the first generation of their families to receive a higher education. They are Mawia Elawad, whose family is Sudanese and will attend Alfred University this fall, Junwan Ge, whose family is Chinese and will be attending the University at Buffalo and Yuliya Otchych, whose family is Ukrainian and will be attending SUNY Oswego.

Senator O’Brien brought the students to Albany, introduced them on the floor of the Senate and presented each of them with a resolution honoring their accomplishment.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Today, Senator Ted O’Brien stood alongside representatives of several tourism-related organizations and businesses, along with local elected officials, to tout the 55th Senate District’s growth as a tourism destination. He also highlighted state programs, newly introduced in this year’s budget, that seek to specifically promote, market and develop upstate tourism.

“As vibrant and exciting as the tourism industry is in Rochester and the Finger Lakes Region, we have only begun to unlock our full potential,” Senator O’Brien said. “These new initiatives, which will work in concert with our existing tourism groups and businesses, will be tremendous catalysts for growing our region’s tourism economy.”

ALBANY, N.Y. – Today, Senator Ted O'Brien stood with his Democratic conference colleagues to call for a moratorium on the issuance of certain natural gas drilling permits until a comprehensive health impact study has been completed. Senator O'Brien stressed the importance of allowing the scientific inquiry regarding "fracking" to advance before making a final decision.

FAIRPORT AND EAST ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Today, Senator Ted O’Brien stood with local residents and insurance representatives to promote safe driving through the “X the TXT” initiative, amid recent reports that texting while driving now causes more teen fatalities than drunk driving.

“As a father and a legislator, my top priority is keeping our children safe from harm,” Senator O’Brien said. “Texting while driving is one of the leading easily prevented causes of death among young people today. The ‘X the TXT’ program is a great way to educate our kids about the dangers of texting while driving and help them make good decisions when they’re on the road. I’m proud to support this life-saving initiative.”

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- State Senator Ted O’Brien and Assembly Majority Leader Joseph D. Morelle today announced they are jointly sponsoring a bill that defines the deliberate slaying of a public prosecutor while on duty as first-degree murder.

Under current state law, the premeditated murder of a prosecutor does not automatically carry a first-degree charge, but after the recent killing of two district attorneys in Kaufman County, Texas, that needs to change, O’Brien and Morelle said.

I recently shared my thoughts on the corruption issues plaguing Albany with the Messenger Post family of newspapers:

"I was elected to the New York State Senate last year, and I understand what the residents of Monroe and Ontario Counties expect of me. They trust that I will fight every day to reduce the burden of property taxes, revitalize our economy and encourage growth in emerging technologies to create the jobs of the future. This has been my focus since I took office, but when our Legislature is hit by scandal after scandal, and nearly nine in 10 New Yorkers think corruption is a major problem in our state, it’s difficult for government to work effectively."

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Today, Senator Ted O'Brien nominated two Rochester-area veterans, Lyle Dupra and W. Robert Nolan, to the State Senate's "Veterans Hall of Fame," honoring their distinguished service to their country.

"It is my distinct pleasure to honor these two men for their service to this country," Senator O'Brien said. "I hope that this Hall of Fame and the stories of its honorees serve to remind us all of the sacrifices those in uniform have made and continue to make to keep this country strong."

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – As part of the Earth Day 2013 observance, Senator Ted O’Brien encourages all New Yorkers to commit to preserving our natural resources and protecting our environment for future generations.

“New York has been blessed with abundant natural resources and we have a responsibility to serve as stewards for our environment,” Senator O’Brien said. “For New York to have a vibrant future, we must ensure our natural resources are used by sustainable industries for long-term job growth. Our children deserve to inherit a New York that is economically prosperous and environmentally sound.”

Thank you for your wonderful contribution to the New York State Senate’s Earth Day Poster Contest. This year we received many outstanding posters that exemplify the creativity of the young people in the 55thSenatorial District.

Each entry from my District displayed tremendous originality and vision as well as obvious concern for the ecological future of our communities and our state. I am proud of your work and that of your classmates, and encourage you to continue to study and learn more about the serious challenges that face our environment.

I am pleased to announce that the winner of the 2013 Earth Day Poster Contest from my District is:

ALBANY, N.Y. – The Senate Democratic Conference today unveiled a tough legislative ethics package designed to reform state government and combat the ongoing corruption issues facing New York State. The Conference also announced their support for the principles of the Governor’s legislative package the “New York Public Trust Act.”

“The events of the past few weeks have shown all New Yorkers more must be done to clean up Albany,” Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said. “Public corruption and the abuse of power by elected officials is a serious problem that must be confronted and eliminated. I urge my colleagues in the Senate Republican Coalition join with the Senate Democratic Conference to clean up Albany.”